The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1887-12-21

Il
hET,> He had to be sup
CZeMssA ported to the gallows,
yS2sZsSaSs and as the rope was
&D placed around his
H9Wn neck he exclaimed
l., y three times: "Please
/ !: !: !.
HAnSS don't" AS the Sheriff
WYIA~ /k#M placed the white cap
HsS8yEC I'M over his head, he ex-
WSaXf \//#NTAe>c laimed again:
nSyl%E/ %|aI/IHE"Plea don't; am
kys3zA 4 lNfZ//ZI innocent" In eight
gisHZNAS6T/I""'1 minutes and forty
W\M three seconds after
the trap was sprung
Bellows heart ceased
to beat. His neck was broken. The rope
used was that intended for Anarchist
Louis Lingg.
The crime for which Bellows suffered the
death penalty the murder of his niece,
Alice Waterman. Ho had been living ut Min
neapolis, but came here in 1856 ana went 70
live with the Watermans, n short distance from
town His attentions to Alice aud his general
conduct soon became such that no was sent
away July =. He went TO the house Of n mel gh-
Dor Chester Wilcox whore Alice was stopping,
and called her outdoors and shot her twice
while she was on her knees begging for mercy.
The last shot was fatal He then shot himself,
but inflicted merely flesh wounds.
Bellows is the first man legally executed in
Iowa for twenty-five years. From 1886 To 1872,
the first twenty six years Of the Common
wealths Statehood. few men died on the gal
lows by decree of the courts. Under the old
law it was optional with Judges to sentence to
hanging or to imprisonment for life in capital
cases, and the bench usually tempered justice
with mercy. The course of the Judges led to
discussion about 1870 to whether the prac
tice OF courts. by showing as far as possible
their tenderest side TO the deepest-dyed crimi-
nails, did not really create q sort OF contempt
tor the way judicial punishment was measured
out 1t was maintained that the public morals
would be better conserved by repeating the
capital punishment clause and making life inn
prisonment the penalty for the highest crime
Public sentiment was ripe for q change, and
when the Legislature OF 1872 met one OF its
principal acts was the passage OF n bill abol-
ishing capital punishment This law lasted
until 1878, when, after thorough discussion,
during which it was contendcd that the taking
OF human life had become much more frequent
than formerly account of this abolition of
the death penalty, capital punishment was re-
enacted with one important change. which re.
moved the power to fix the death penalty from
the Judge to the jury In case arising under
the law now the jurors find the verdict for
merly, but II they adludge the criminal guilty
OF murder in the first degree and that the
prisoner be hanged or imprisoned for lite, they
must say so in their written verdict, and the
court has no power to modify the finding. The
Judge must either set aside the verdict entire
or pronounce sentence in accordance with the
verdict
Under the law of 1878 four men have been
sentenced to death in Iowa The first was
Fountain w. George, for the murder OF Dr.
Epps in the streets of Des Moines. This occur
red in 1882. The Judgment OF the lower court
was affirmed, and under tho law he should
have been executed not later than ffteen
months after sentence. But the assassin was
victim OF epilepsy. Doubts arose as to his
sanity, and n commission of inquiry ap-
pointed. Their finding has never been made
public. but it must have been favorable to the
insanity view, as Governor Sherman never
fixed day of execution and about n year ago
George died In the penitentiary. A man named
Smith, OF Fayette County, and another named
Kennedy, OF Dubuque. are awaiting execution,
their cases having gone to the Supreme Court
Chester Bellows was the fourth.
The murderers legally strangled in this State
richly merted their punishment In 1856 Will
lam Hinkle, of Davis County was arrested for
poisoning his wife. The woman had died sud
denly, and Hinkle, before year had elapsed,
made preparation to marry a girl who had been
working in the family at the time of his wife 8
death. An investigation followed, which led to
Hinkles indictment and arrest He took n
change of venue to the ad dining county of
Appanoose, whore after Il tr al lasting only four
days, he was convicted of murder in the first
degree on April is, 1873. An appeal to the Su-
preme Court followed, but the judgment below
affirmed, and Hinkle was sentenced to be
publicly executed on the 18th of August 1858,
between the hours of and y. m, within one
half mile of the town OF Orleans, little village
in the eastern part of the county. This was the
nearest convenient point midway between
Bloomfield and Centerville, the county seats of
Davis and Appanoose Counties and the Judge,
no doubt, thought tho people OF the two coun-
ties had n common interest in seeing Hnkle
die. Nor was he disappointed. On the appoint
cd day 10000 people assembled to Witness the
execution. The condemned man assembled the
platform with resolute stop and firm bearing.
The rope provided for the occasion was OF home
manufacture, and MS the trap fell and it re-
ceived the full weight Of the heavy victim it
snapped and Hinkle dropped heavily to the
ground. He was picked up and with difficulty
placed on the scatgold. lie was asked before
the rope was adjusted the second time il he had
anything to say TO which he answered that he
was innocent. 1t was generally believed ut the
time that he had placed the poison in the young
woman's hands for the purpose of comprising
his wife's death, and that his denial was, there
FORE technically true
The second execution was the most notable
in the State = history II occurred at DUBUQUE
in 1859. tailor named Gillick returned home
in the morning very drunk. His wife asked
him for money with which to buy bread. He
seized her by the hair, dragged her about the
floor kicked her beat her. and ut last shot her
through the head. Ho had been a soldier in
tho Mexican war, n color sergeant. As his at
torney, the eloquent dion NJ. Samuels, told the
jury, he bore the flag of his adopted country
from Vera Cruz to Chapultepec He had two
trials, tho verdict resulting tho same in both.
Governor Lowe was appealed to for clemency
in vain. There had been too many murders in
Dubuque in the preceding ten years, and pub
lie sentiment demanded an example. Judge
Wilson had ordered that the execution be mado
public Tho gallows was built on n sandy
plateau short distance south OF Eagle
Point, and just north of tho city limits.
The people living in the vicnity-the nearest
house being at least quarter of q milo distant,
threatened to rae the gallows, but Sheriff
Hayden put n guard Of sworn deputies around
it. There were three largo, well drilled hand
somely uniformed military companies in Du-
buuue-The Governor Greys, the Washington
Guards and the Jackson Blues. Gillick re-
quested that, MS he had been n soldier, these
military companies escort him to the gallows,
and in order TO comply with his wishes, Sheriff
Hayden ordered that they turn out protec-
ton, and to quell any disturbance that might
arise The day of execution came. Dubuque
never saw such n crowd. 1t seemed IL the
people of Iowa, Wisconsin and Illinois for sixty
miles about had focked into the city. It
was estimated that there were 10000 to
5000 strangers in Dubuque that morning.
1t was a beautiful day. The cortege start
ed from the Jail with military company,
headed by the Germania Band, in front
Of barouche I'm which Gillick rode with
tho Sheriff, and two companies in tho rear,
while line OF guards was on either sido of
the carriage. The band played n dead march
from tho jail to the gallows, distance Of over
n mile The military formed n hollow square
about the galows and within forty feet OF it.
The people stood crowded In closely on all
sides-a vnst mass OF humanity. Hundreds OF
women were among the spectators Gillick
made n short speech, In which he-warned young
men against the use Of liquor which had
brour ut him 10 tho gallows, thanked the mill
| tary for the honor they had paid him as SOL
dier, and Sheriff Hayden for kind treatment
| II was all over I'm fftoen minutes, and in the
afternoon two-thrds Of the vast number OF
strangers had disappeared There have been
two more executions ut or near Dubuque-one
| i'm 1So2-and another Mt Delphi for a murder